The Virginians in both, were the same shade of orange-brown, with the same amount of black perique in the coins. Tin scent was completely identical. They come dry to prevent the souring of the virginias, and you may need an apple slice in your jar to rehydrate them a little.

I read that Dunhill uses a lighter virginia in their mix. That certainly is not the case in my tins. The coins are the exact same diameter, thickness, colour, and weight - I checked with calipers and a digital scale. The outermost "rind" leaf looks as though it was cut from the same roll. Even the rolling pattern was identical.

Smoking them, they have a wonderful fruity flavour, which is also peppery, sweet, and woodsy. Not even a hint of difference between DNR or Escudo in any way. Great, complex and flavourful.

So, I did some internet research and discovered that both blends are made in the same factory. In the same room. This not being enough to convince me that I was smoking the same blend, I threw a couple coins from each into a cup of water, which I let steep for a few hours. I then got out some PH blotting paper charts which can test very subtle changes in acidity or alkalinity. You guessed it, they were identical. Now, if you do this same test with another vaper, the results are dramatically different. Any variation in virginias would cause quite the colour change in the PH paper chart, as the brighter they are, the more alkaline.

So, there you have it. Escudo IS dunhill's navy rolls. Take your pick.

To start with, the rolls are ready to be smoked, perfectly dry to the correct point, and a pleasure to "enroll" into the bowl. Second, the perique is in my preferred quantity: enough to be spicy during the smoke. I dont care about those " a dash of perique" blends. Third, taste is full from begin to the end of smoke. Really good stuff, I buy it regularly.

Easy to pack and keep lit (what i miss in gawith offer...).

Not an overwhelming taste, but consistent alternating of sweetness and pepperness throughout the bowl ...

Strength:a bit more than just medium... I would define it:satisfying!

In conclusion, i recommend to give it a try.

The reason why I do not give it four stars is that I am not sure I love VaPer so much. But if you do and money is not the issue, go for it.

Update 11/10/2012. Upgrading to 4 stars. Simply the best Va/Per.

I don't know if I got unlucky with a bad tin, but this was easily the worst tobacco I have smoked. Dry, tasteless and hot, I could not find anything to enjoy about this blend. If Winston Smith in Orwell's '1984' had smoked a pipe, I can imagine this would have been the government sanctioned tobacco.

Not recommended, and so 1 star from me.

I've have the most success rubbing out a few coins and letting them dry overnight as my first smokes were pretty gurgly.

Nice enough stuff, worth a try.

The result is a light Virginia with very little tongue bite, and the perfect amount of Perique to give a peppery kick. It balances the sweetness of the VA perfectly. The room and tin note are outstanding. I smoke this in a narrow but fairly deep Stanwell, and I think the briar imparts just the right woodiness to the otherwise sophisticated taste. This is the most enjoyable and well-balanced blend I've ever had; if I could only smoke one blend, this would definitely be it.

UPDATE: (5/17/13) It has been suggested that Escudo and Dunhill are identical. This is certainly not my experience, and I've smoked dozens of tins of both. I recently ordered Escudo, and was so dissatisfied with it after one tin that I sent the rest back and paid the extra to have the Dunhill sent. I was not disappointed. The difference is profound. Richer virginia in the Dunhill (and more pronounced Perique, for that matter). The Escudo was nearly tasteless. Spend the extra money and get the Dunhill. For my taste, there is nothing else that comes close.

Considering this is almost flake like, packing and lighting are relatively easy. The flavour of the smoke is suprisingly mild and a little sweet, giving hints of lemons and golden syrup. The room note is equally mild and pleasant enough.

On the whole then, a nice pleasant smoke, nothing terribly exciting but won't let you down.

The tin aroma is sweet of fruity but isn't overpoweringly sweet. Not artificial, naturally a lovely smell. The medallions rub out very easily i find which make packing and lighting very easy.

The smoke is very smooth and doesn't burn hot at all i find. The sweetness from the virginia's really go well with the spiciness of the perique. I find a i get a slight fruity taste as well which is very pleasant. It burns well and the taste continued all the way to the bottom of the bowl.

Would definitely recommend this to any pipe smoker regardless of experience and tastes in tobacco. This will be in my cellar for the foreseeable!

The only problem is the price. For what you pay for this tin you can purchase four ounces of Peter Stokkebye's Bullseye Flake, which is just as good and has all the same characteristics; it just doesn't have the Dunhill name.

The tobacco coins did not want to stuff and roll, so I ended up meeting halfway between that and truly rubbing it out. the pieces that fell apart ended up on the top of the bowl to help get it all started up.

It took a bit of time to light, but once I got it going and tamped properly (perhaps this one needs a bit more tamping than dunhill flake), it burned well. It did crackle a bit and I'd recommend allowing a coin or two to dry for a while before lighting.

The smoke was thick and luxurious, flavorful and sweet- the pepper element of the perique undeniably adding something special to the virginia tobacco.

All of that being said, I think there are better, must be better VaPer tobaccos out there. The only other one I have much experience with is Marlin Flake, and Navy Rolls is less enticing, less fruit forward, less creamy.

Navy Rolls is an easier smoke, though. Less tempermental, perhaps, than I have found Marlin Flake to be. For someone just getting into VaPers, this is a good blend to go with. Easy, satisfying, and smooth flavored.